The wife is always right, or is she?

Marriage is a fragile affair to be handled with care

Keeping your wife in good humour is an art. But sometimes, it takes a naive husband years to master this skill.

Thankfully, the era in which I walked down the aisle with my wife was not under the invasion of technology. Had it been the case, I would certainly have lost my hard-to-please wife. But no married man will dare to disagree with me that marriage is not all about revolving a few times around the sacred fire. In order to keep your marital life away from the figurative heat of the fire, a poor husband has to learn a new set of skills, which is otherwise not at all necessary for a happily unmarried man.

Leaving aside all other academic qualifications, a husband or a hubby-to-be must acquire the knowledge of psychology. Although each woman is different, there are some startling similarities. This is my experience gathered over 20 years of happy and relatively smooth married life, where I am proud to say, I have kept the bond spiritedly alive and kicking.

To begin with, though the kitchen is considered to be the domain of wives, a good husband must be a good cook as well. Waking your wife up with a cup of tea prepared by you will nicely kickstart your day. The day your maid does not turn up is the day your gentle wife is certain to be in a grumpy mood. Before she begins to fret and fume, you better hold the broom and go on a cleaning binge. Why should only the women wash the utensils and clothes? You can also try your hands at these chores, and in the process, display your care and love for your better-half. Every month whether you get your salary on time or not, your wife’s cupboard must be filled to the brim with new arrivals. After all, fashions and fads change so quickly.

When it comes to shopping, footing the bills is not at all adequate. A good husband must also show a keen interest in his wife’s shopping affairs, whether the interest is faked or real does not matter.

When your wife gets ready for her kitty party, your job is not only to drop her at the venue but is also to ensure you send her off with the best possible compliments in order to safeguard your marriage. Beware of praising the beauty of any other woman in her presence. You can keep those compliments for some other safer times.

Taking equal pains about the academic progress of the kids is essential to the happy married life programme. So learning some nursery rhymes by heart will elevate you in the eyes of your darling wifey. You may not have special fondness for relatives. However, if even a distant relative from your wife’s side happens to arrive, you dare not show him or her the cold shoulder.

Otherwise your well-built shoulders will not remain so for long. Last but not the least, never give an impression that your marriage has got stale over the years by forgetting the birthday of your sweetie or your wedding anniversary. Such a blunder can derail the bogie of your blissful marital life in no time. So marriage is a very fragile affair. Handle it with care.